As schools shut down across the country in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, officials scramble to provide hot breakfast and lunch for students who depend on these meals each and every school day. Add to that, the stress many parents face with job uncertainty at this time and feeding our kids becomes of the utmost importance.
Today reports about some of the ways as a community we can contribute to the efforts to keep our kids fed and healthy through these trying times. Many grassroots efforts across the country have popped up via sites like Facebook and GoFundMe, but there are larger organizations accepting donations to help kids get the meals they need.
The Global Empowerment Mission strives to give out immediate help to those facing hardships from tragic events like hurricanes and now a global pandemic. The organization is taking donations in order to provide parents with grocery store gift cards to make their shopping that much easier. They are also putting together something they call “coronakits” that include some hard-to-find items like sanitation wipes, protective gloves and extra water.
New York locals may be familar with the group NYC Mamas Give Back. They take donations and reach out to their partner organizations who will be able to give out hygiene products, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods and paper products to those who are without. The New York mom network is known to go above and beyond for community members in need.
Well-known organizations like UNICEF and Save the Children kicked into high gear to help with corona efforts and are accepting donations specifically to feed children during the pandemic. Save the Children explains that they will “help make sure schools and community programs have the support they need to keep feeding vulnerable children during the pandemic, as well as provide books, games and other educational materials, along with after school and summer programs, to help kids make up for lost time in the classroom.”
Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK) has also gotten involved in the national corona efforts and has an Amazon wishlist set up for people who will otherwise go without much-needed supplies. Some of the items on the wishlist include canned goods, paper products, bottled water and hand sanitizers (or recipes).
How are you dealing with the widespread school closures?
Do you know of any local or national organizations that are working to provide kids with hot meals at this time?